The story’s protagonist is an unnamed man who is hiking alone in the Klondike. There is little physical description of the man, other than that he has a beard and “high cheek-bones and [an] eager nose that thrust[s] itself aggressively into the frosty air” (3). He is attempting to join “the boys” at a prospectors’ camp. The old man of Sulphur Creek has advised him not to hike alone when the temperature is 50 degrees below zero, but he ignores the old man’s guidance. The man is “without imagination” (2), which prevents him from foreseeing the dangers that lead to his death. At the outset, he acknowledges the cold; however, his arrogance gives him a sense of invincibility. Instead of appreciating and respecting nature’s perils, he trudges forward under the assumption that he will arrive at camp in time for dinner.

Along the trail, the man is followed by a dog. His lack of compassion for the animal is demonstrated by forcing it to lead the way across thin ice. The dog’s instinct is to remain near fire because the temperature is too cold for travel. The man ignores the dog—like he did the old man—and carries forward.